Yacht chefs offered recognised qualifications

In a new partnership between the PYA and WorldChefs, superyacht chefs will be offered the chance to apply for qualifications and certificates recognised on land, based on their at-sea experience.

In a new partnership between the Professional Yachting Association (PYA) and WorldChefs (World Association of Chefs Societies, or WACS), superyacht chefs will be offered the chance to apply for qualifications recognised on land, based on the chef’s at-sea experience.

The recognised levels and certification titles are renown and already in existence for land-based chefs, but the PYA and WACS have together set up this yacht pathway to these land-based certificates. Three certificates will be available:

Assessments will be based on each applicant and will include sea service and any previous culinary qualifications and experience, in a way the PYA has described as “a little like the letter of assessment from the MCA for engineers”.

There is a lengthy list of criteria for applications, available from WACS, which while normally focusing on land-based experiences, in these cases will require items relevant to yachting, including captain’s testimonial, seaman’s book and Training Record Book (TRB).

Crew will have to pay an administration fee and a certificate fee, as both the PYA and WACS are not-for-profit. “As much as we love yacht crew and as much as WACS loves chefs, we have to pay people to do the administration and issue the certificates,” confirms Joey Meen, director of certification and training at the PYA, which is still in the process of working out what the fee will be. “The PYA will need to work out the fee as the chef will have to become a PYA member to get their sea service formally verified, like deck and engineers do, unless they already have a seaman’s book and testimonials,” adds Meen. “We may find a way to work the members fee into part of the administration fee.”

WACS has confirmed fees with The Crew Report: €120 for level 1, €160 for level 2 and €250 for level 3. “I would like to add that the fee is paying for everything [Joey has] mentioned, but this is also a contribution to keep the organisation financially healthy so it can continue working for chefs,” explains Cedric Seguela, founder and director of Secrets de Cuisine, and of the PYA Chef Workgroup.

The Crew Report will bring readers more information as soon as it is available. In the meantime, for any immediate enquiries we recommend you contact the PYA.

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